Hong Kong Marathon 2026 Starts Today, Attracting 74,000 Runners from Home and Abroad

The Hong Kong Marathon 2026 was held today (January 18th), with Chief Executive Mr. John Lee officiating as a guest of honor at the start of the full marathon race at 6:00 am. The full marathon race started on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, with runners crossing the harbor via the Western Harbour Crossing and finishing at Victoria Park on Hong Kong Island, a distance of approximately 42 kilometers.

The Chief Executive, Mr. John Lee officiated as a guest of honor at the start of the full marathon race. Photo source: FB of Mr. John Lee

Mr. John Lee stated on his social media that the Hong Kong Marathon, as one of the most popular running events in Hong Kong, has been awarded "M" Mark status by the Major Sports Events Committee. For many years, it has attracted running enthusiasts from around the world to compete with each other in such a unique cityscape and consolidated Hong Kong's status as a centre for major international sports events. He stated that the HKSAR Government will continue to actively promote the elite, mega event-oriented, professional, industrialized, and popularized development of sports, as well as organize diverse sports and recreation activities to encourage citizens to develop regular exercise habits.

The honored guests cheered on the runners of the Hong Kong Marathon. Photo source: FB of Mr. John Lee

Mr. John Lee also mentioned that according to the Hong Kong Observatory's weather forecast, the weather will be generally sunny, warm, and dry during the day, providing runners with a comfortable environment. He wished all the athletes the best of luck to enjoy a smooth race and achieve excellent results.

The Hong Kong Marathon 2026 starts today. Photo by Bastille Post

Miss Rosanna Law, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, also attended the start ceremony of the marathon.

Runners from home and abroad participated in this mega sports event. Photo by Bastille Post

The organizing committee stated that the 2026 marathon will continue to have 74,000 runner slots, with overseas or non-local runners coming from 110 countries or regions, accounting for 25%, an increase of approximately over 20% compared to last year.

Runners arrived at the marathon finish line successively. Photo by Bastille Post

WASHINGTON (AP) — The presidential committee asked to find solutions for spiraling costs in college sports recommended creating a task force to look at pooling media rights, limiting coaches salaries, and rewriting eligibility and transfer-portal rules, along with at least a dozen other ideas.

A draft document of the committee's proposals, obtained by Yahoo Sports, wants Congress to quickly pass legislation that would create the task force, which would receive the antitrust exemption and the right to override individual state laws that the NCAA and other collegiate sports leaders are seeking.

The committee is the product of a White House summit called by President Donald Trump in March; Trump warned the “whole educational system” was in peril if the issues dogging sports cannot be resolved.

The document unveils a laundry list of items, all of which have been discussed in the revenue-sharing era, as schools struggle to pay players and maintain full athletic programs.

Among the more divisive ideas is pooling the media rights of the conferences — a move the Southeastern and Big Ten Conferences oppose but that a group led by Texas Tech regent Cody Campbell has argued could add some $7 billion in value.

“Important to note that there are currently long-term contracts in place that expire over the next 5-7 years (e.g., ACC expires in 2036), so change will likely be an evolution to a new model,” the paper said in outlining one of the issues that would make that change so difficult.

The paper also called on the task force to create rules for “elimination of salary-cap circumvention,” — in what appears to be a reference to schools' practice of inking third-party NIL deals, often through associated multimedia rights companies, that help schools blow past the current $20.5 million limit they're allowed to pay out directly.

That issue could soon be resolved through an aribtration case brought by Nebraska football players whose NIL deals were rejected by the College Sports Commission, which was placed in charge of analyzing third-party contracts.

The draft paper calls on Congress to implement legislation before its summer break, which traditionally starts in August. Congress has been stalled for more than a year on legislation that would codify elements of the House settlement that put revenue-sharing into place.

Among the biggest hang-ups are the call for the antitrust exemption for the NCAA, which, under this proposal, would instead belong to a task force and then a permanent governing body that would take its place.

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, May 8, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

FILE - South Carolina guard Agot Makeer (44) celebrates cutting the net after South Carolina beats TCU in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament March 30, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Justine Willard, File)